yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] copkay:
Maybe your monitor isn't set correctly. There's nothing terrible about that picture for a camera phone. It's underexposed by about 1/2 to 1 EV, but not terribly. Automatic metering is often off by that much; you can easily add an EV or 2 of compensation if you're not pleased with the results. Or just run it through Auto-Fix in the built-in editor, the results are actually very good in my experience.

/spectrometer-calibrated monitor here
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] brian85:
My monitor is fine. It's not like this is the only picture I've ever seen on my computer.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] brian85:
No more excuses. Yes, mobile cameras are "there" now. Look at the galaxy s2. That phone takes excellent pictures, even better than the iphone 4s.

I don't usually take mobile shots seriously either unless they look absolutely terrible.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] shoman24v:
If this thing can shoot 1080p widescreen it should be able to take widescreen photos.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] copkay:
Doesn't mean you've seen them correctly.

Explain what you think is wrong with this photo, because I'm not seeing it.

EDIT: Histogram of your image attached. As I said, 1/2 to 1 EV underexposed, but there's no clipping in the shadows or highlights.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] klobkelosh:
Just use another camera...I'm using miui v17 and it shoots widescreen and takes decent pictures with control over autofocus
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] EddyOS:
Looks fine to me, but then again it is a phone
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] brian85:
So many excuses.

I love my nexus, but it takes terrible photos. Simple as that.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] spencer88:
Dude, that's not a bad pic at all. Yes, the GSII takes better pics, but that one isn't bad. If you need the best quality pics grab a DSLR or something.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] kangxi:
You keep saying everyone is making excuses but you aren't answering any questions. I have taken great pictures with my camera. Would love to post some but I'm at work right now.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] brian85:
What questions?

If you guys don't think that picture looks bad, then you aren't someone who is really into photography.

Dull colors, dark, noisy as hell, grainy, etc.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] z06mike:
Just did VERY QUICK adjustment for you. Is this more of what you're looking for??
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] brian85:
Much better.

I think the issue here was the shutter speed. I have NO IDEA why it used a shutter speed of around 1/3000. That is WAY too fast to gather any decent amount of light on a cell phone camera.

I've been looking at other pictures I've taken with slower shutter speeds, and they look fine.

Sorry for freaking out guys. I think my issue here was I took a picture in an area with plenty of light, where the nexus camera is supposed to shine, and I was shocked when I actually saw the picture on the computer. Just wish we had manual controls on this thing (shutter speed, iso, etc).
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] madisonjar:
yeah your right, this is a phone forum not a camera forum...plus people who are really into photography dont do it on their phones...trust me I am married to a photographer...while she snaps pictures of the kids all day on her phone she would NEVER take it out to do a wedding or photo shoot.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] brian85:
Thats not what I mean.

I'm saying if people are happy with flip phone quality photos on a smartphone in 2012, then they don't really know photography at all.

Anyways, see my post above. I'm a little calmer now lol.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] TiltedAz:
I'm no expert but it looks pretty good to me. Maybe the abundant lighter colored walls reflect too much light and require a faster shutter speed?

Interesting house. I assume the garage doors are hidden in the back.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] purebishop:
Electronic rolling shutter vs mechanical shutter

Camera phones have shutters? This is news to me. They have electronic rolling shutters, but no mechanical shutter. It seems like the shutter speed you're relating to DSLRs is mechanical shutter speed. In this sense, 1/3000 doesn't really mean a whole lot.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Sarg92:
In my opinion the camera takes great photos! I have taken a number of photos that are all brilliant quality. I have had the photos printed out on photo paper in a number of sizes and recently had a photo printed on a 16x16 canvas and it looks stunning! There has been no loss in quality with the photo on the canvas and I know that there will be no loss in quality if I have 46x46 canvases made!
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] RogerPodacter:
i am baffled as to why, but i am sitting here doing it over and over. just like any other android phone (at least my nexus one), you jsut press and hold, the center box turns green when focused, release the button.

anyway i get SUPERB shots with this method. but touch to focus makes every shot horrible. no matter how hard i try and steady the phone, touch focus quality is bad.

and this makes sense, right? the fast shutter function is only for touch to focus i believe. the regular button focus is normal time, hence why those pics look good.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Jeffruby:
are u on 4.03? I'm on stock 4.02. And definitely doesn't work as u state
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] sluflyer06:
If you were someone who was into photography or even appreciated quality work you probably wouldn't even open the camera app in the first place. The only time I've ever used any camera on a phone is out of boredom and then i delete them after I take them. After all its a PHONE not a camera. Why should anyone expect phones to serve as anymore than a emergency backup for a camera.

I don't care how many megapixels phones are shooting they'll never look like a quality dedicated DSLR.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] BzBz:
i've had many phones with cameras over the past 8 years or so and not once have i felt compelled to complain about image quality of a picture taken with a phone.

are people deciding whether to buy (or return) this phone based on the picture quality? there are so many differences in expectations and standards of good and bad image quality that i hope not...
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] MarkGbe:
my pictures are fine......
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Mnemoch:
So does mine, but it does focus and takes a photo when you lift your finger up...
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Spewy1:
Press and hold (to focus)worked in 4.0.1 but does not in 4.0.2, not sure about 4.0.3 as I am still waiting for it.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Stigy:
Honestly, the pictures from my Nexus look perfectly fine.

(edited version of above)
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] RogerPodacter:
i'm on stock 4.0.1 still, and it definitely is working that way for me...would google remove it?

---------- Post added at 11:44 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:38 AM ----------

are you on 4.0.1? because those pics look good and that is how my pics come out too...
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Stigy:
Rooted and ROM'd 4.0.3
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] z06mike:
The pics ARE good, whether on 4.01, .02, or.03. What people need to realize is that these phones are going to shoot good shots in daylight and struggle in low light. ( This includes the iPhone 4S, Samsung Galaxy S2 and any other)

Take a look at this thread for "REAL WORLD" pictures from the iPhone 4S: http://forums.imore.com/iphone-4s-forum/220289-post-pictures-taken-your-iphone-4s-here.html

Unfortunately, you have to be a member to see all of them, but you can get the point. There are some good shots (which are in good lighting) and some bad shots (which are in low lighting).

Apple uses marketing to make it appear as if they have the ABSOLUTE GREATEST camera on earth and that you automatically take amazing pictures. If you read through different forums you will see that there are people that are disappointed with their pics from their 4S(many of them because of the LOW LIGHT PERFORMANCE, which is something that plagues ALLLLLLLLL phones).

The sensors on phones are simply not big enough and does not have a slow enough shutter speed to let enough light in under low light conditions.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] ChongoDroid:
Remember folks, it takes light to autofocus.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Tidbits:
What do you know... As with the argument smart phones and should have kick butt camera... Polaroid is making a smart "camera" not a smart phone... Go figure right?
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] ChongoDroid:
Haha maybe we can hack it to make phone calls and cook bacon. 5$ says we can root it.

Sent from my Google phone
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] derrelicte:
I'd hate to resurrect this thread, but I just got my Nexus this past week and this weekend I had time to play around with my GNex, my job's iPhone 4S, and my sister's SGSII. I took similar, very low light shots from all three and uploaded them. All shot under auto and focusing/exposure metering on the same spot. They're all unedited, except the resizing to 5MP to not give away the GNex easily. I kept them unlabeled just so people can try to guess, but I'll reveal which photos are which later. One of the sets only has two out of the three pictures -- I accidentally deleted it before being able to save it to my computer. Apologies.

Photo 1 (Car dashboard)

http://i.imgur.com/brktw.jpg Galaxy Nexus

http://i.imgur.com/G1brE.jpg iPhone 4S

http://i.imgur.com/rxYbk.jpg Galaxy SII

Photo 2 (Menu)

http://i.imgur.com/XbmVj.jpg Galaxy Nexus

http://i.imgur.com/QNE6W.jpg iPhone 4S

http://i.imgur.com/p8a29.jpg Galaxy SII

Photo 3 (Candle)

http://i.imgur.com/E6wpB.jpg Galaxy Nexus

http://i.imgur.com/sEpf2.jpg iPhone 4S
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] haydonxda:
I'll take a stab.

1. GNex

2. GS2

3. iPhone
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Krisbo:
+1 on that, definitely 1 = GNex, 2 = SGS2 and 3 = iPhone.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] RogerPodacter:
and its worth mentioning which firmware you run, 4.0.1 or later, because some of us strongly believe 4.0.1 camera gives much better quality than 4.0.2 camera...
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] derrelicte:
Swap out the GS2 with the iPhone, actually.

I'm running all stock 4.0.1. The thing I've noticed with the GNex is that it tends to overexpose a bit, resulting in grainy pictures. Also, it's a bit funky with white balance -- I feel the 4S does a much better job in both exposure and color temperature. However, with just a small bit of post processing, the GNex pictures would look amazing. Either way, the GNex's camera is relatively beastly and is completely undeserving of the hate it's getting from some people.

It looks like the GS2 has a really tough time with these low-light shots. It tends to really want to overexpose. I manually set the exposure to -1 and results were a lot better, but for the sake of this test I wanted to keep everything at a level playing field.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Jameslepable:
Them low light sgsII pics look so bad its unbelievable, SGN obviously isn't as good as iphone4s but I think its more software than hardware.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] haydonxda:
Well, not having an iPhone4S or GS2 I think I did pretty good. :) I thought I remember more noise being visible in the 4S images which is why I mixed up those two.

The GNex was pretty obvious. 100% crops on it show a lot of noise reduction and compression artifacts.

Thanks for the posts! I really did appreciate being able to give it a go blind.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] edgie168:
pixel peeping phone images, huh? what is this, dpreview?
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] brchickery:
This camera is absolutely capable of amazing shots. Its totally situational. It's also stupid to argue about. Each camera is going to perform different even in similar situations.

Look how clear this is but unfortunately it's too dark. When I changed exposure down 1. I think they can definitely make the camera better with some software updates.

Now this is the exact same shot taken 3 times just with different settings on the default camera app.

Even more strange is the fact that if you point the camera at a light source that is too high the camera incredibly over compensates. These are three pictures taken with the exact same settings in the exact same conditions within seconds of each other. What I did this time was force the camera software to show how different it is depending on how long and where your pointing the camera. I pointed it at my monitor directly and you can see the camera let in WAY to much light. Then as I moved it away the camera auto compensated and darkened the image. Look at how incredibly different these three shots of the exact same spot are.... Look how incredibly clear the third shot is.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] haydonxda:
Heh. The images it produces have some unpleasant characteristics that are easy to pick out in 100% crops. It actually has a signature look.

Photos that are extremely well lit and scaled down (like our pup friend above) can come out well. I've taken some good photos with it under those conditions too.

From what I've seen I'm hoping that image quality can be improved with better compression and filtering. Hopefully it's not the sensor and hopefully Google is willing to add some options to allow the user to select between speed (the current priority) and quality.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] derrelicte:
This is another thing I've noticed, actually. The GNex consistently puts out pictures that are about half the file size of the other phones, even when setting the other phones to 5MP. I think a lot of noise and compression artifacts are created purely by the phone trying to optimize its JPGs a bit too much. Would be nice if we were given a choice of quality and not just picture size when saving -- it would probably relieve a lot of issues we're seeing with IQ.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] cmscritic:
Camera

No, it takes very good pictures. If you want a camera, buy a camera.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] bongd:
I'm also hoping that there's room for improvement through software optimizations.

I just noticed the smaller filesizes yesterday and was hoping that there was something developers might be able to modify with ease. Here's to hoping.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] haydonxda:
Didn't we already cover that topic in this thread?
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Tidbits:
Buy a smart camera. Is that better? Surely smartphones can do more than a normal phone, but it still doesn't make all their features are equally important. It's primary function will ALWAYS be a phone.

Polaroid is now introducing a smart camera where it's primary function is a camera...
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] staticx57:
The argument to just buy a camera is getting a bit old. Its now 2012 and I would call it unreasonable to ask for a camera that compares to a phone that came put close to half a year ago (GS2) and one that came out a few months before (4S). Its also a bit short sited to suggest buying a camera as there will be a much greater chance of having the phone on ones self than a secondary camera.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] savagealien:
The argument may be getting old, but it still holds up. I have a 4MP point and shoot from 2004 and it takes slightly better, my opinion, photos than the 4S, S2, and GNex.

I think it's illustrated well in derrelicte's comparison shots that each camera performs differently in varying situations. Low light, etc. I'm not a fan of how warm some GNex photos can be with the flash. The example OP provided of the house is clear, but is washed which is an easy fix. They take acceptable photos for having a camera so readily available. They all look great resized to a little smaller than their default pixel res. Your experience/opinion may vary; you may have to change the White Balance, I find myself doing this, but hey I do that on my point and shoot.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Dirk:
Agreed. I have a 3MP Compact that still takes better pictures than a phone camera. It's understandable though considering the size limitations with phone cameras.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Seanathan:
Where you at RA eating? lol
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] ChongoDroid:
This thread needs to be closed

sent from my googletron
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] kyl3:
Agreed!

At the end of the day you've got to be realistic!

Its a small camera mounted to the back of your mobile phone! Its not going to be the most awesomest camera in the world, but it will be convenient and easy to reach for.

Fwiw, I think it does alright when the lighting is suitable.

I enjoy the photos I take with my phone, I don't carry my Nikon d700 with me call the time so often find myself snapping pics of my girls playing or something interesting from work..
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] NIK516:
Guys let's stop flogging a dead horse it is what it is let's live with it or sell it when the gs3 comes out . ( I know I will )

If we want a real picture let's get a real camera like a canon 550d with a 17-40mm L lens and then we can all take pictures like this lolll.

I use the middle one as my wallpaper saves battery lolll
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] kyl3:
550d' not a real camera :P
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] chumbagen:
No issue

The cam is seriously better than the one in my ex-Desire HD

not sure why it gets such a bad rap.

Telus Galaxy Nexus
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Tidbits:
People have to complain. It's turning into human nature.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] ChongoDroid:
The nexus camera is insane for a mobile camera imo

sent from my googletron
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] z06mike:
+1 I had a 3.2mp Samsung Camera (about 15 years old) that would KILL any of these phones, 4S, GS2, and Gnex included.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] RogerPodacter:
i think people complain because there are 2 different camera apps out there. or 2 different "functions". use the originally 4.0.1 camera focus and pics are crisp. use the newer one with touch focus and its blurry.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] audi09:
I love how people try to justify the $700 GSM or whatever you payed on contract. And the "If I wanted photos I would use my D SLR" Get over it... the camera is crap its that simple. This is supposed to be google's flagship phone with the best hardware possible out right now. But they put a 5mp camera in it. Even phones over a year ago have better cameras.

Other phones right now or coming out have the same resolution screen, better cameras, or a memory card slot. Right the only thing that makes the GNex different is ICS

I accept google let me down this time. I paid $700 for mine and will sell it day 1 as soon as something like the GSIII comes out. And I don't care if it has a touchwiz version of ICS, it will be a better phone.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] adrynalyne:
You have a lot of misconceptions on what this device is, and is not. But roll with it.

PS: I think the camera is fine.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] z06mike:
Just because they put a 5mp camera in it does not mean that is a crap camera as you put it. People can't wrap their heads around the fact that there are more factors than just megapixels.

I have posted REAL WORLD, side-by-side shots, of the 4S vs Gnex and 4S vs Gnex vs GS2 and guess what??? The camera holds it own :eek: IMAGINE THAT!

Yet even with that proof, people still make excuses. They say blow them up to FULL CROP and you will see how bad they are. Do that with any picture and you will similar results. For purposes of showing the pics to friends, posting on Facebook, posting on a forum, or even viewing them on a computer you will virtually NEVER use full crop.

That is just a garbage excuse to say the other cameras are better (and this will all go back to the fact that we have 5mp vs 8mp).
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] kyl3:
Dude, you bought a $700 mobile phone! Not a camera!

No phone will ever have a camera that can replace a stand-alone camera!

Seriously...
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] p00rcakemix:
I'll be getting rid of this phone because of the camera. It's terrible. I understand people keep trying to defend it because it's their phone, but it's just a bad camera. Simple as that.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] adrynalyne:
Have fun. I dont think i ever bought a phone for its camera.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] altimax98:
Anyone else own a Samsung Omnia??????

Now THAT was a camera phone.... quite amazing even with today's cameras

Sent From My ICS HP Touchpad
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] adrynalyne:
Omnia ftw.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] NIK516:
Red epic images to large to upload lol
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] haydonxda:
Primary ... function ... not ... a ... phone ... ahhhhhh.

If the primary function was a phone you'd be taken to the dialer immediately after unlocking. Pressing the button on the headset would take you to the dialer not play music. There would be actual keys to dial digits. Go look at a real phone - a home phone, an office phone. That's a device that's designed to be primarily a phone. Phones are significantly different than these devices. Phones don't need multi GHz CPUs, phones don't need high resolution color displays, data, the ability to load apps, games, touch screens, stereo headsets, etc. The list goes on. Phone features would be instantly accessible everywhere. They're not. It's not primarily a phone.

If people purchased "primarily a phone" dumb phones would still be the vast majority of the market as they're given away for free.

The primary market most of these are sold into is the cell phone market simply because of inertia and they're the only market that's figured out how to sell these in a subsidized fashion. (Although Amazon has opened up another front with the Kindle Fire.)
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Tidbits:
Funny you should say that... Dumb phones are STILL the majority...
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] haydonxda:
Not the case in Europe and the US. In other regions, yes.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] ArmedandDangerous:
Because it's still worse than camera's offered by other phones.

I know the GN can take great photos, ANY camera can! It's just a matter of controlling available light, composition etc etc.

BUT. People do take a lot of shots in darkened areas, where light CANNOT be controlled by us. This is where the GN camera fails mostly compared to the 4S or even the SGS2. People everywhere have smartphones now, and carry them everywhere they go. Most don't carry a compact so the phone HAS to be adequate for most usages.

I also understand that why Google chose what they chose for the GN hardware is that it's supposed to be a stable platform for developers to work on.

But a camera module is such a small part of the whole SoC that I cannot imagine why they did put this sensor in the GN.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] adrynalyne:
So what you are saying is,

This isn't a kindergarten camera and you have to know how to take pictures to get quality.

Gotcha.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] jayharper08:
I think everything that needs to be said has been said already.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] brian85:
I don't know what they call it on cell phones, but whatever it's called it's the same process (how much time it's open to gather light).
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] spencer88:
I believe that's exposure (somebody correct me if I'm wrong.)
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] brian85:
You are correct, but the are the same thing (or directly related..slower shutter speed = more exposure, fast shutter speed = less exposure).
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] ianwood:
At 1/3000th, your gain (ISO) is going to be jacked up even in broad daylight. This is like going 40MPH in 1st gear. You might be able to do it but it's not much fun. I see tons of gain noise in that image. The sky is crawling with it. Fortunately, that would appear to be a software problem.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] mjohnk11:
I agree completely, it's a decent pic but if you look closely at the sky it's very pixelated and noisy.

The fact that it's shooting at such a high shutter speed is kind of surprising. I mean it's aperture probably isn't that adjustable and overall should be pretty small, so I figured that would mean a much slower shutter speed. Either that or it's compensating for the small aperture by cranking up the ISO and keeping the shutter way too fast (might be defaulted that way since samsung was advertising fast pictures).
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] spencer88:
If only they could have put the camera from the GSII (or at least the Sprint GSII, not sure if they are different) in the Galaxy Nexus...it would have been the perfect phone.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] brian85:
ISO is only at 50 in that picture. The fast shutter just screwed up the image quality badly. Now it's just a matter of figuring out why the fast shutter.